NEW ZEALAND FLAX

Southland Times, Issue 20148, 7 April 1927, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND FLAX

OVER-SUPPLY UNLIKELY. LARGE MARKETS ABROAD. COST OF PRODUCTION PROBLEM. In view of prospective developments in the flaxgrowing and milling industry, the opinion of Mr W. Petrie, chief hemp grader of the Department of Agriculture, whs sought recently regarding the possibility of an over-supply of flax being produced in New Zealand.

Mr Petrie said he thought there was no chance of this, for several reasons, provided that New Zealand produced the right quality of flax hemp. One factory alone in the United States could consume the whole of

our present output, which was approximately 18,000 tons a year. After local manufacturers were supplied we had only something like 1500 tons available for export, which was like a drop in the ocean of the world’s annual consumption of fibre. If constant supplies of hemp or bindertwine quality could be guaranteed, there need be little fear of competition in this class. Quite recently a large cotton manufacturer of Lancashire visited New Zealand and was very much surprised to learn that the Dominion exported hemp. He immediately interested himself as to its equitability for making artificial silk and arranged to ship small samples for testing in his laboratory. There was no doubt that artificial silk could be made from New Zealand hemp Bagging and twilled sacking could be manufactured from one of our flax products, known as carded stripper slips, which was very much cheaper than jute. New Zealand hemp was also suitable for making fine yarn. There were scientists who said it could be used for making bank-note paper and cigarette papers. The main thing for which New Zealand hemp was most suitable at present was the manufacture of binder twine, ropes, and general cordage.

There need be no fear of over production of flax hemp in New Zealand, concluded Mr Petrie. The real problem waa how to reduce the cost of production.